Public Space Roundup: Philly’s Great Places, Viaduct park gets more love, new thinking for Festival Pier site, Occupy Philly chooses City Hall

Good morning Philly. Try to spend some time outside today, it’s going to be a beautiful one. Here’s a public space news roundup for your Wednesday Buzz.

Philly’s great neighborhoods, streets, and public spaces didn’t make Planning Magazine’s list of Great Places this year. (What gives?) Check out the winners in this nice roundup by The Atlantic Cities. Maybe somewhere you know got some love.

The Inquirer came out in favor of the Reading Viaduct’s reuse as a linear park in an editorial yesterday saying “a viaduct park could be the seed that allows the entire area to blossom into one of the city’s most appealing neighborhoods.” Think it could happen?

Plans for Festival Pier were worked over by designers and planners as part of the Sustainable Cities Design Academy who suggested several changes, Plan Philly reports. Planers suggested focusing on drawing people to the river along a greener Spring Garden Street that extends through the pier site, all the way to the water as a linear public park. The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation participated in the charrette and is receptive to considering the new ideas.

The Occupy Wall Street movement is sparking protests in other cities including Philadelphia, where protesters packed the Arch Street Methodist Church last night for a planning meeting. Occupy Philly will occupy City Hall starting tomorrow at 9am, CityPaper reports. If you’re curious about why people are occupying Philly too, read this Q&A with Occupy Philly organizer, Justin Harrison from CityPaper. You can follow @OccupyPhilly and #occupyphilly on twitter.

 

The Buzz is Eyes on the Street’s morning news digest.

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